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I am a firm believer in constantly trying to improve myself. This doesn't necessarily mean that I am unhappy with how I am, currently. But, seeking to improve builds confidence & satisfies my inner need to reach for more while still enjoying what I already have.

One of the things I have found that helps keep my mind right & builds my confidence is reading motivational books, particularly on mindset & reaching my goals. What is more confidence-boosting than setting goals for yourself & actually reaching them?!

So, most nights, I pull out my kindle & read for an hour or so in bed before falling asleep. My mornings are so much more productive AND I find that I don't put off bedtime as much because I am looking forward to my next reading session, y'know?

So, here are a few of the books I have read recently that I found tremendously helpful for my own mindset. Hopefully these books boost your confidence too — & help change the way you think.

Living Foward

First up is Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want by Michael Hyatt & Daniel Harkavy. This book focuses on actually taking time out of your busy life to sit down & write a life plan. You learn everything about how to prioritize what is most important to you into different categories, focus on what you want your legacy to be in each of those categories (what you want people to remember you for), & how to use your life plan to make decisions in your daily life.

Confidence in making decisions?! Or creating a life balance? How about confidence in knowing you are going to be on your deathbed one day with NO REGRETS because you lived your life the way you intended? Yes, please.

I read through this book once & I will be picking it up again & again, gaining new knowledge & insight from it every time. Mark my words.

12 Week Year

I stumbled across The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington when looking for ways to help motivate me this year. Thinking about the year as a whole seemed overwhelming. Plus, I wanted to make sure to honor my word of the year (NOW) & learn to focus on progress over perfection & get more done, overall.

Enter, The 12 Week Year. The whole idea is to set the same goals you would normal set for yourself over the course of a year, but give yourself 12 weeks to do it. Be reasonable, but don't take it easy on yourself either. Visualize where you want to be, then take a step back & decide which ACTIONS you need to take to get there. Break those actions down into weekly & daily tasks & you're most of the way there. Read this book for know-how to actually IMPLEMENT your goals & make them a reality.

5 Second Rule

Do you ever wish you would just get out of your own way?? If so, The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage is a MUST for your reading list. I came across this book over in The Socialite Suite's January 2018 book club! This book has helped me get my lazy tush up out of bed on time in the morning & even tackle a sink full of dishes. It has been a mindset-changer of epic proportions by simply helping me turn a thought into an action before I “talk” myself out of doing it! No joke. You need to read this one for yourself.

Year of Yes

I read Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person a year ago. My 2017 was AMAZING as a result of it. The book is written by Shonda Rhimes, the creator of a bunch of ABC's hit shows like “Scandal” & “Grey's Anatomy” & the book is totally entertaining to read! This is a recommendation that will not only have you laughing & crying as you read, but also having a few light bulb moments. You will learn to say YES more often & NO where it counts. Trust me.

Me, Myself, & Lies

I round off this list of recommendations with Me, Myself, and Lies: What to Say When You Talk to Yourself by Jennifer Rothschild. I read this book with a small group from my local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. It provoked a lot of tears, but even more self-realizations.

The book likens our minds to a closet & warns us of how we talk to ourselves & the effect it can have on us. It helps us compartmentalized what others say about us & what we say about ourselves. Most importantly to me, it takes all of this & tells us how it relates to scripture. I am a Christian, so I appreciate this part of it. If you are not a Christian, there are still some extremely good nuggets of motivation & inspiration in this book. I call the “voice” in my head “The Bitch” — &, let me tell you: The Bitch hasn't been nearly as destructive since I read this book.

I could go on & on. Perhaps I will do another list of recommendations soon. Reading is a love of mine & I have recently been focusing on finding titles to help improve the way I think & my mindset about how I interact in the world & with others. I hope you find some inspiration here. If you have read any of these titles, drop me a comment below to let us know your thoughts. Have another title to recommend? I would love to know that too.

As always, your thoughts & recommendations are always welcomed. Comment below or shoot me an email to retajayne@confidenceandchaos.com. You are also welcome to accept this invitation to one (or both?) of our communities! Come lurk or interact to your heart's content. I have made some fabulous friends in both places & would love for you to join us.